Compartment box



Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT I. HODGE, OF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT', ASSIGNOR 'T0 WILLIAM-I. GILBERT CLOCK COMPANY, QF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OSI?v CONNECTICUT COMPARTMENT Box Application led February 4, 1929. Serial No. 337,214.

The present invention relates tov compartment boxes or receptacles which may be employed for holding various kinds of articles. As an' instance of a use to which the box of the present invention may be advantageously applied, reference may be had to the holding of various forms of lure, such as dry flies. The fisherman may carry his dry flies and similar forms of lure within the box with the assurance that the various flies will not become tangled, while at the same time, the selection of the desiredly maybe readily made, and the flies are easily acces.-

sible. Obviously, however, the box is adapted to other uses.

An aim of the invention is to provide an improved structure of compartment boxes admittedly of economical and easy production.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a box ortray which may be made of a one-piece drawn shell of cup shape open'at its top, and in which may be easily set a onepiece spider to divide the shell into compartments between the arms of the spider. The

shell may have a transparent cover seated on the spider and held in place by a slight turning inwardly of the upper edge of the shell, and the cover may have an opening admitting access to the compartments one at a time by turning the cover, the opening being closed by a slide or the like carried on the cover. f

Another object of the invention is to provide abox of this character which has few parts capable of quick and easy assembly, and a box which is strong and durable and capable of rough handlingand` shipment.

The above, and various other objects and advantages of this invention will in part be described in, and in part be understood from, the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, the same be ing illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a compartment box constructed according to the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken 'standing integral side wall 11.

through the compartment box substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the body of the box comprises a drawn shell of metal or the like providing a bottom 10 with an up- The side wall 11 is of desired height depending upon the depth of the box desired, and the upper edge portion of the side wall 11 is turned. inwardly to a slight distance to provide a relatively 'shallow flange 12. l

This shell or casing 1s divided into a plurality of compartments by a spider 13 from v the hub portion of which radiate a plurality of arms 14 providing partitions between which separate or individual compartments are formed. The s ider 13 with its arms v1.4 are of a height slig tly `less than that of the plane of the ange 12, as shown in Figure 2,

and the arms 14 may be in any desired nuIIiber according to the number of compartments desired within practical limitations in the body portion or shell. The spider 13 with its arms 14 may be made of-a solid piece of metal which admits of casting or otherwise economically and easily constructing the spider, and which admits of the quick and easy assemblage of the spider within the 1 shell. As the spider 13 and arms 14 are in one piece, a rigid and substantial structure is the upper face of the spider 13. The 4disk 15 is fitted suiiciently loose within the side wall 11 of the shell to admit of the easy turning of the disk by sliding the same around on the upper face of the spider 13. Near one side of the box, the disk 15 is provided with an opening 16 which is of suitable size to admit of easy access through the opening 16 to'one or more of the compartments in the body of the box, and by turning the disk 15 the opening 16 is brought into register with any one or more' of the compartments desired. i

In order to exclude dust from the body of the box, and to retain articles in the compartments, the cover 15 ma be provided with a slide or shutter 17 whic is preferably' in the form of a flat transparent leaf of cely luloid or the like of sufficient sine to close and overlap the opening 16 when moved into position over the opening. rlhe slide 17 is preffrably pivotally mounted upon a bolt 18l secured through the central. portion of the disk 15 and through the inner end of the slide 17 byra clamping nut 19 which bears against the under side ot the disk 15, and preferably registers with the central opening 2() in the hub of the spider 13. rlhe opening 20 merely accommodates the nut 19 so that the disk 15 may lie closely against the upper face of the spider 13. The upper edges of the arms 14: of the spider lie preferably in the same plane as the, hub portion of the spider so that the disk 15 may readily seal or close the various. compartments in the body of the box, one from the other. A tension spring 21 may be seated beneath the head. of the bolt 18 and engages the upper face of the slide 17 to yieldingly hold it in close engagement with the upper face of the disk 15. `f

From the above` it will be readily seen that this invention provides a box or tray having the compartments, it is only necessary to' move the slide 17 to to one side so as to uncover the opening 16. rlihe user then places the thumb or finger against the edge of the opening 16 and moves the disk 15 around on top of the spider 1? until thegopening 16 is brought into register with the desired compartment.

The body portion or casing of the box may be constructed of adrawn shell which is integral and which is a great improvement from the standpoint of manufacture and durability over such structures where the side walls, partitions,bottom and other parts are made separately and soldered or otherwise united. Also, the partitions disposed in the shell may all be made of a 'single solid piece of metal which is cast or otherwise constructed to provide the hub and arm portions which constitute the spider or partition member 13, and this spider may be quickly and easily in-4 Larmes yis iitted to the upper face of the spider or partition member and held in place by the slight inturned flanges 12 of the upper wall of the shell or body of the box.

Another importment feature in the structure of the box is that the transparent disk 15 has a loop fixed within the shell so that. the outer edge portion of the disk 15 only lightly beneaththe flange 12. This permits the disk 15 to b e turned so as to bring the opening 16 into register with. the desired. compartment, and at the same 'timel admits of slight variations or inequalities in the stamping, the expansion and contraction or the like of the disk 15 and of the drawn shell.

lt is ofcourse understood that 'various changes and modilications may be made in. the details of construction of design of the .above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and moditications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

W hat is claimed is 1.. A compartment box, comprising a drawn receptacle having a bottom and side Wall and being open at its top, a spider shaped partition member litted in the receptacle providing therein separate compartments between the radial arms of the spider shaped partition member, a transparent disk seated on the partition member to close the top of the receptacle and itting loosely at its edge against the inner face of said side wall and the latter being turned inwardly at its upper edge portion into overlapping relation with the transparent disk for holding the same in place and admitting free turning of the disk in the receptacle, said transparent disk having an opening 'therethrough near its edge adapted to register with said compartment one at a time upon the turning of the disk, and a transparent slide mounted on the disk for adjustment over said opening to close the same.

2. A compartment box, comprising a drawn shell having integral bottom and side Walls and-being open at its top with the upper edge of the side Wall turned inwardly to provide a relatively shallow flange, a one-piece solid spider ttin-g in the shell and of a height equal to substantially the height of the side wall of the shell and terminating in spaced relation beneath said shallow dange, said. spider providing separate compartments between the arms of the spider, a transparent disk seated on the upper face of thespider and engaging at its edge portion beneathl said shallow dange to retain the transparent disk in the top of the shell .and admit ofthe free turning of the disk, said disk having an opening therethrough near one side of the shell and adapted to register with the com partments o-ne at a time by the turning of the disk, a slide pivotally mounted at its inner end upon the central portion of said disk and adapted to be swung over said opening to close it.

3. A compartment box comprising a receptacle open at its top, a spider fitting in the receptacle and provlding separate compartments between the arms of spider, a transparent cover seated on the upper face of the spider for closing the top of the receptacle, said receptacle having an' inturned iange at its upper edge adapted to overlap said transparent cover to loosely hold the same in position, said transparent cover having an opening therethrough at one side of the receptacle for access to the compartments, and a slide carried by the cover for closing said opening.

' ALBERT P. HODGE. 

